AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 20, 2016, the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) at St. David's Medical Center became the first facility in the nation to use the EnSite Precision™ cardiac mapping system to treat Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) and Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT), conditions marked by an abnormally fast heart rhythm caused from improper electrical activity in the upper part of the heart—as well as Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC), a condition involving extra heart beats that disrupt a normal heart rhythm. The EnSite cardiac mapping system is a next-generation platform designed to provide automation, flexibility and accuracy for diagnostic mapping used in ablation procedures to treat patients with abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias.

Amin Al-Ahmad, M.D., a cardiac electrophysiologist at TCAI, performed the first VT and SVT cases. Jason Zagrodzky, M.D., who is also an electophysiologist at TCAI, performed the first PVC case.

When physicians use catheter ablation to treat cardiac arrhythmias, several long, flexible tubes with wires, called catheters, are inserted into the heart. Diagnostic catheters record and "map" electrical information from the heart, and the EnSite Precision cardiac mapping system provides highly detailed anatomical models and maps to enable diagnosis of a wide range of arrhythmias, guide therapy and expand procedural options. Ablation catheters then deliver radiofrequency energy, and the heat from the catheter creates a lesion or scar on the tissue where the abnormal heartbeats originate. As a result, this tissue is no longer capable of conducting or sustaining the arrhythmia.

"Advanced cardiac mapping is a complex task, and this technology allows us to further improve accuracy and speed, ultimately resulting in better outcomes and improved quality of life for our patients," Andrea Natale, M.D., F.H.R.S., F.A.C.C., F.E.S.C., cardiac electrophysiologist and executive medical director of TCAI, said.

One of the distinctive features of the EnSite Precision cardiac mapping system is that it uses intelligent automation tools, which are designed to enable faster and more accurate high-density maps, allowing tailored treatment for a variety of cardiac arrhythmias, including complex cases. The ability to create rapid, high-resolution models speeds up mapping time and minimizes fluoroscopic radiation exposure for both the patient and the clinicians.

"We continuously strive to reach higher standards of excellence in care, and we are committed to providing the most state-of-the art tools to allow doctors to find and treat problems quickly, efficiently and safely using the least invasive methods," Dr. Natale said.

The most common arrhythmia is Atrial Fibrillation, or A Fib, which affects more than 3 million Americans—and millions more worldwide. A Fib is a very fast, irregular heartbeat that occurs when the upper chambers of the heart beat so fast that they only can quiver. Left untreated, A Fib can cause a stroke.

EnSite Precision™ cardiac mapping system was approved by the FDA on Dec. 15, 2016, and it received CE (European Conformity) Marking in January 2016.